Think tank urges inquiry into land clearing legislation

An independent think tank has called for an inquiry into the Department of Environmental Regulation's handling of land clearing cases.

The Institute of Public Affairs' comments come in the wake of an unsuccessful prosecution of a Lake Muir farmer, who had been charged with clearing an environmentally sensitive area.

The institute's Simon Breheny says that case was handled "disgracefully", with the farmer left significantly out of pocket by a prosecution that was always frivolous.

He says it shows an inquiry is needed to examine the issues.

"Whether or not handling of cases more generally by the department is done as poorly as this one was, I think there really needs to be an inquiry to find out what happened in this particular case and whether or not it's a more endemic problem," he said.

"If there have been problems then I think senior bureaucratic staff within the department really need to take responsibility.

"They've gone way too far, they've used very broad, discretionary powers inappropriately and they've essentially gone after this guy when it should have been very clear that this shouldn't have been pursued but the real question is whether this is a broader issue across the department."

Environment Minister Albert Jacob says it would be inappropriate for him to comment on individual cases but says reforms to streamline clearing requirements will be announced in the near future.